Vincere Aut Mori
by Writingnerd291
Summary: MoA AU! Sequel to "The Praetors of Rome"! "In Roman mythology, Terra is not a villain seeking to destroy Olympus and its gods. She is a peaceful protector of Rome who assures our bountiful harvest, continued fertility, and well-being. Why would New Rome wish to fight her? I say we put it to a vote!" For the first time, Praetor Reyna actually agreed with her slimy, deceitful augur.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own PJO or HoO!**

* * *

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano stood tall and proud beside the newly elected praetor, Percy Jackson. Of course, Reyna still couldn't believe that she was trusting him to help her lead her soldiers, seeing as he had helped to blow up her last home. Especially since he was claiming that the Greek warship approaching Camp Jupiter was purely friendly in nature.

"I support you, Percy." She said finally as they exited the Senate. "I trust your judgement. But for all our sakes, I hope we can keep the peace between our campers and your Greek friends."

"We will." The son of Poseidon promised "You'll see." For a moment, his words reminded of Jason's promise to her. It had been almost a year ago, but it felt so much longer.

Reyna stared up at the approaching ship in the sky. Jason was aboard, if Percy was correct. _Jason…_ She had missed him. Truly. She missed his flirtatiousness, how annoying he always was, his hard stares, his focus, his power, his talent, and the steadying presence of him standing beside her. "You say Jason is aboard… I hope that's true. I've missed him." She told Percy quietly as they stood in front of the Legion.

Percy watched her carefully. Then, he grinned. "I can see that. I myself have missed someone from home. Hopefully, she's on the ship as well."

"Annabeth, right?" Reyna asked. "I remember her, from the island."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I didn't really think about what would happen to everyone else on the island. I was on a quest that had to get accomplished, so…"

Reyna nodded. "I too have destroyed my fair share of islands while on quests." She deadpanned. Percy, however, took a moment to realize that she was joking. _Jason would have known you were joking before the words came out of your mouth_ , she thought.

The ship approached and grew much closer. Even from the far distance, Reyna could hear Terminus shouting at the people on the ship. Finally, the Greek trireme paused in the air. A long rope ladder descended from the ship, and a blonde girl climbed down. She was the first of the _Graecī_ to land on Roman soil. The Romans separated for her, and the blonde approached Reyna and Percy.

But Reyna refused to allow the _Graeca_ girl who had destroyed her home to walk any further into the _forum_. Instead, she walked forward and approached the blonde girl. The other Greeks followed the blonde –Annabeth Chase –and fanned out behind her.

He was there. He wore jeans, a ghastly orange T-shirt, a white bedsheet as a make-shift toga, and a purple cape. He was obviously trying to dress as a praetor. As it was, the ensemble was a little ridiculous. The orange of the T-shirt clashed horribly with the symbols of a Roman praetor.

"Jason Grace…" Reyna said. Her words echoed throughout the silent forum. "Son of Jupiter and former Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, welcome home." She regarded the three others. The blonde girl was staring at Percy Jackson, and the other two seemed hesitant. One girl with braided hair wearing jeans and a strange T-shirt with some kind of cartoon cat design stood far too close to Jason for Reyna's comfort. The other looked around in excitement and seemed very ADHD. "And these, your friends –" Reyna was interrupted by Annabeth Chase's sudden movement.

If she had her dagger with her, Annabeth Chase would have been impaled for moving so suddenly. As it was, Reyna was in New Rome and thus had no weapons. Annabeth sprinted towards Percy and hugged him. The two shared a kiss which was far too passionate for a public meeting before Annabeth threw Percy to the ground.

Reyna saw the people of Rome surge forward to protect their new praetor. "Hold!" She commanded to keep them in place. "Stand down!" They, of course, followed her orders.

Her focus drifted from the couple who seemed to be sharing a moment and back to Jason. His blonde hair was longer than regulation, and there was something else that seemed off about him. But Reyna couldn't quite place what it was.

Jason approached her, and she stepped forward to meet him. "Jason, I've missed you."

"I missed you too," Jason said sincerely. Then, he grinned and leaned closer. " _Puella bella mea_." (1).

Reyna felt the blood rush to her cheeks at the compliment. "I see you're still the same old lightning bug, then." She replied.

Jason smirked down at her. The two demigods inched closer together. Then, Reyna remembered that everyone was watching them. "Later, _regina mea_." Jason decided (2).

"Calling me names in Latin does not make up for leaving for eight months, Grace." Reyna declared loudly. There were some snickers from the legionnaires assembled as well as from the citizens of New Rome who knew the two of them.

Reyna hardly cared that the brunette _Graeca_ girl was glaring at her. "How can I make it up to you, _Regina Romae_?" Jason asked (3). He wagged his eyebrows, and there were some catcalls from the soldiers. Especially from the males in the Fifth Cohort.

"Later, when there aren't so many witnesses." Reyna replied finally.

"Careful, Jason!" Dakota, son of Bacchus, called out. "There are only two things that can mean! And I don't think she's talking about the fun one!"

"This is Reyna we're talking about!" Someone else shouted. "I think that she'd enjoy killing him."

Reyna glared at the two offenders, and the Legion fell silent. "In any case, welcome to New Rome." She looked over the Legion. "Centurions! Senators! We will be concluding our Senate meeting with our new guests. Bobby, alert the spirts to prepare a welcome feast. As for the rest of you legionnaires…" She stared at them with a hard expression on her face. "There will be no more insinuations about Jason Grace and me. Am I understood?" The two offenders gulped and nodded. "Now, return to your regular activities. The last Cohort to return to training will have latrine duty for a week."

The legionnaires all but sprinted back to Camp Jupiter. Latrine duty was nasty, after all. As everyone else dispersed, Octavian approached her. "Reyna, you can't seriously be thinking about letting these _Graecī_ into camp! The security risks –"

"I'm not letting them into Camp Jupiter. We'll dine in the forum tonight, Octavian."

"But Reyna…"

"That's Praetor Reyna to you, Augur." She reminded him harshly. Octavian glared. "Now, shouldn't you send an offering up to the gods for returning our saving grace to us?" Reyna suggested to the pale blonde harshly.

"Lupa called me that one time, Reyna!" Jason protested behind her. "Let it go, already."

But Reyna ignored him. "It is your duty to do so, Octavian."

The augur scowled. "Yeah, Octavian. Go burn your bears." Percy put it in with an arrogant smirk. Reyna quickly bit back her laugh and smile.

Octavian stormed off. Jason, who had not been there to see Octavian's fall from a trusted official to a corrupt lunatic, frowned at the insult. "I have much to catch you up on regarding the inner politics of New Rome, Jason." She told the frowning blonde. "Some of which includes your old friend. He is no longer the same boy you grew up with, Jason. Octavian has changed into something almost unrecognizable from what he once was."

"Reyna…" Jason murmured.

"We can sort it out later, Jason. We have a duty to do."

* * *

When it was dinnertime, the entire Roman Legion dined in the forum alongside the three Greeks. Reyna sat at a table with the ten Centurions, Jason, Percy, and the three Greeks. They traded stories, but Reyna focused on studying the Greeks. The daughter of Venus, Piper, kept looking at Jason in a way which Reyna didn't like. The boy, Leo, fiddled with various machine parts throughout the whole meal. Percy and Annabeth held hands and kept glancing at each other. All the while Jason Grace stared at Reyna with an almost unreadable expression in his eyes.

When the meal was over, Percy gave Annabeth a tour of New Rome. Leo Valdez gave Octavian a tour of their warship, and the rest of the Roman campers returned to Camp Jupiter. This left Reyna alone in the forum with Jason and Piper.

"Daughter of Venus, would you like to return to your warship? Jason and I can walk you back. but then we have many things to discuss."

The girl's expression hardened. She looked to Jason, who did not meet her gaze. "Yeah, okay." She said finally.

Jason was stoic and silent as they walked the Greek girl back to her Greek ship. Once she ascended the ladder and was safely on the ship's deck, Jason and Reyna walked back to the forum. The two sat on one of the couches and faced each other. "So, there aren't any witnesses now…" Jason said slowly with a faint smirk.

Reyna smiled slightly. "There aren't. But alas, I left my dagger with Terminus." Jason raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, if I can't kill you, I'll just have to go with the other option…"

Jason leaned in and kissed her. Reyna kissed him back, and then pulled away from him. Jason's usually clear blue eyes burned, and Reyna found herself leaning back into him. They shifted around until she was straddling him, and then she kissed him again. Reyna wrapped one hand in his hair and clutched onto his forearm in the other hand. She could almost feel the heat of his SPQR tattoo warming the skin of her hand.

They pulled away from each other again. "Reyna." Jason breathed out. "Gods, Reyna. I missed you so much that it hurt." Jason moved his hands away from her hips. He brought one of his hands up to the glinting praetorian medal on her toga. Reyna herself got off of him and began to tug off his makeshift cape and toga. "Rey, what are you doing?"

"Don't call me Rey, Grace." Reyna replied as she had so many months before. "And the purple totally clashes with your orange shirt."

"I do agree that Reyna Grace sounds better than Rey Grace. But haven't we had that conversation before?" Jason asked. "Now, how do you recommend we fix the clashing of my shirt and cape?"

Reyna smiled at him. Jason stood up and set the toga and cape on the couch behind him. He pulled Reyna into a hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. The feeling of Jason's nose on her neck caused Reyna to shiver. "We'll have to take it off, I'm afraid." Reyna replied with a smile.

She slipped her hands beneath Jason's shirt and deftly pulled the orange cloth over his head. "I feel like you should take something off as well, Reyna." Jason said with a grin.

Reyna snorted. "I'm not the one wearing an orange shirt with a purple cape. And we're not taking turns stripping each other in a public place."

Jason grinned. "So we can do that in private, then?"

"If you play your cards right." Reyna replied. She leaned in to kiss him again, but they were interrupted.

"Jason! It's Leo! There's something wrong with him!" The daughter of Venus shouted as she sprinted towards the pair. She froze when her kaleidoscope eyes landed on the shirtless Jason with his hair all messed up. Her eyes traveled to Reyna, who met the accusatory gaze with her infamous wolf stare. Piper quickly looked away.

"What do you mean?"

"His eyes turned gold and he started to talk all creepy. He started to load the ballista, but I charmspoke him and knocked him out before he could do anything. I tied him up and left him in his cabin to find you."

"Where's my camper?" Reyna asked harshly. "Octavian. Valdez was supposed to be giving him a tour of your warship."

I left him on the ship. I charmspoke him into staying put, but I don't know how long it will last. Jason, you have to help me get a hold of Leo."

Jason nodded. "Right. Yeah." He pulled his ghastly orange T-shirt back on over his head. He didn't bother with the toga, but Reyna smiled proudly when he took the time to don purple cape.

"I'll come as well." Reyna said. Piper looked at her mistrustfully, but didn't object. The three ran to the Argo II and climbed the ladder.

"Ready?" Jason asked her.

"Always." Reyna replied.

* * *

 **Hey guys! So, I know that this chapter divulged greatly from canon. And I would apologize, but I'm not sorry. So… yeah. But in any case, I really disliked the lack of Jason even talking to Reyna (wtf Rick Riordan?), so I put in a Jeyna reunion. Because I ship Jeyna. Well, in any case, please review and tell me your thoughts!  
~Nerd**

 **1.** " **My beautiful girl" in Latin**

2\. " **My queen" in Latin**

 **3\. Queen of Rome" in Latin**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own PJO or HoO!**

* * *

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano and Jason Grace followed Piper McLean to the Greek trireme in the sky. They hastily ascended the rope ladder, and the daughter of Venus led two Praetors of Rome to the room in which she had left Leo Valdez. As Jason kicked the door open, they saw Leo Valdez using flames to burn the robes binding him away. Reyna almost wanted to make a snide comment about Piper's choice of binding materials, but forced herself not to. She was currently a representative of the might of Rome, after all.

"Leo, stop!" Piper commanded. Reyna involuntarily shivered at the honeyed sound of Piper's voice. It reminded her of the sickeningly sweet voice of Circe, who had owned the spa on the island so many years before. For a moment, she was brought back to the torturous days of living on the island and being forced to do whatever the witch wanted. Never again.

Regardless of Reyna's internal struggle, Piper's words worked. Leo Valdez stopped burning the ropes immediately and let the flames on his hands sputter out. For a moment, his oddly gold eyes returned to the brown color which Reyna had initially noticed that he had. "Piper? Jason? Scary Roman girl?" He asked in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Jason, stay with the _Graecī_ and keep them from doing anything to harm New Rome. I'll find Octavian and get him down to the _forum_."

Jason looked at her sharply. "I don't want to separate, Rey. Not after eight months of being gone."

Reyna shook her head at the annoying blond. "You can't stay with me all the time, Grace. Now do your duty and protect Rome. Or else you'll have me to deal with."

Jason nodded slowly. " _Vale, puella bella mea_." (1)

Reyna laughed. " _Puella tua non sum_." She replied before sprinting out of the room to find the gangly augur (2).

After she left, Piper noted the disappointed expression on Jason's face. "Are you not unwilling?" He called after her (3). But Reyna was gone and did not hear Jason's question.

"Were you two close?" Piper asked.

Jason considered the question for a while before nodding. "I guess that we are close. We weren't all that close until the Titan War. But then I was tasked with protecting her, we fought Krios together, and then I was elected Praetor. After that, we were always together. We were together at breakfast, at training, while working in the _principia_ for about ten hours a day, and in the baths after work. It wasn't until the month before Juno took me that we began to be close in ways besides friendship."

Piper stared at him. "So you remember everything, then."

Jason nodded. "I didn't, but as soon as we crossed the Pomerian Line, it all came back to me. Just in time, too. Who knows what Reyna would have done to me if I hadn't remembered everything by the time I got back home? Probably would have beaten my _podex_ into a bloody pulp and then put it back together in the most painful way possible." Jason grinned as he thought. "Yeah, that sounds about right, knowing Reyna."

"That sounds painful." Leo commented.

Jason's grin widened. "Yeah, it does." He let out a rough bark of laughter, but the joke was lost on Piper and Leo. "Leo, do you know what happened?"

"I couldn't control myself or my actions. I almost blew up New Rome. I'm afraid that the same thing might happen again."

Piper thought for a moment. "Spirit which inhabited Leo Valdez!" She called out. "In the name of the gods, I command you never to possess him or any member of the Argo II again!"

There was a hissing sound which the three took –hopefully –as a good sign. That is, until Reyna came sprinting towards them with a look of intense fury in her eyes. In moments she knocked Piper to the ground so hard that the daughter of Aphrodite lost consciousness. Then, she attacked Leo Valdez. Finally, she turned to Jason. "Jason Grace." She said, but her voice was not Reyna's. It belonged to someone older, more experienced, and more sexual than his queen of Rome. "You would not hurt me while in this body, would you?"

Jason swallowed hard and didn't reply.

Reyna smirked. "I didn't think so, golden boy of Rome." She approached him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "You want this badly, don't you?" she asked. She stepped closer until her body was flush with his. "You want something like what could have happened between us back in the baths."

"Um…" Jason replied uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "I…"

Reyna smirked and pressed her lips to his. "Jason, I want that too." For a moment, Reyna's voice sounded like her own. Her breathy –and Jupiter, dare he say it? –needy tone pulled out an urge in him almost like nothing he had felt before. She bit her lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I want you."

Jason, lost to reality for a moment, nodded and leaned down to kiss her again. Reyna easily reciprocated and let him walk her back to a wall until she was pressed against it. "Gods, I want you, Reyna."

"I want you too, son of Jupiter." The voice sounded ancient and bitter. It certainly did not belong coming out of a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl. It immediately snapped Jason out of, well, whatever that was and he finally focused.

"You're not Reyna." He said.

"And the little hero finally figures it out." Reyna replied. "Do you want a prize? Because we could easily go back to what we were just doing. I'm sure that that would be such a lovely way to go, Jason Grace. To die in the embrace of the girl you love while she stabs you in the heart." Reyna paused and then smirked. "What a beautiful story that would make, if only I cared for the arts of the humans."

"Terra?" Jason asked in fear. Was this the ancient goddess of the Earth?

Reyna let out a laugh. "No, only one of her messengers." She replied. "Now that my fun is over, I do have a message for you, Jason Grace."

"What is it?"

"If Terra is defeated, Rome will be destroyed. The very essence of Roman life and culture will be annihilated from the earth. Rome will cease to exist."

"What?" Jason asked. "Why?"

"Because," Reyna replied, "the Greeks and their deities are full of vengeance for the Romans who changed their identities."

"But, that's not our fault!" Jason shouted. "We didn't choose to change the Greek gods! That happened centuries ago!"

"But now the son will atone for the father's sins." Reyna replied. "How, un-Roman of them." Reyna smiled at him. "Remember, Jason Grace, the gods of Rome will not align themselves with their destroyers. They will fight beside the patron primordial who promised not to destroy them and their life if she returns."

"Who are you?" Reyna laughed again.

"I'll see you soon, son of Jupiter. And next time, it won't be in the body of someone else." Reyna promised. "Although, it's a pity that Lady Venus has her own plans for you. I always did enjoy my many playthings." She did that horrible and un-Reyna giggle again before disappearing.

A few moments later, Reyna burst through the doorway with Octavian just behind her. "Jason Grace, what happened here? And why are the two _Graecī_ passed out on the floor?"

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "This is going to be so awkward to explain…" He said.

Reyna frowned. "Try me, Grace."

* * *

 **Hello! Thank you for reading this newest chapter, please review and tell me your thoughts.**

 **~Nerd**

 **P.S. bonus points to whoever can guess which Roman deity impersonated Reyna (hint: he/she is kind of obscure). You'll have my respect if you can guess correctly!**

 **1.** " **Goodbye, my beautiful girl" in Latin**

 **2.** " **I am not your girl" in Latin**

 **3\. This is a reference to one of Catullus' Carmine about Lesbia. Check it out if you are interested**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own PJO or HoO!**

* * *

"So, you were tricked by some deity that you were talking with me?" Reyna asked after Jason explained. The blonde son of Jupiter nodded. "And she told you that the Greeks will destroy all of Rome and that the Roman gods are siding with Terra?"

Jason nodded. "Yes. She also had some kind of disturbing fascination with me."

On the other side of the room, Leo snickered. Reyna, however, was not amused. "Do you mean to tell me that you kissed some random, unnamed goddess merely because she looked like me?"

Jupiter Almighty, there was no good way to answer this question. "She kissed me, Reyna. Not the other way around." On some level, Jason probably should have felt guilty on Piper's behalf of all of this, but instead all he felt was the feeling of Reyna –okay, not Reyna –pressed up against him.

"But you reciprocated, did you not?" Reyna asked with her eyebrows raised.

"I, um, I thought that the same spirit thing had taken over you. I didn't want to hurt you or anything, Reyna."

Reyna stared at him with a hard expression. Then, she scoffed. "As if I would let some little spirit inhabit my body, Grace."

Jason laughed slightly. "Yeah, of course. My apologies, _Regina Romae_." ( **1** )

Reyna growled playfully. "Would you stop calling me that? Just because my name means 'queen' doesn't make me the queen of Rome."

"But you _are_ praetor and do a lot of important things for New Rome." Jason argued. Then, he looked at Octavian. "Tavi, back me up here. You're the one who divined that name from your auguries."

The pale augur grinned, and for a moment he was back to his old self. "It was in a prophecy, Praetor Reyna. The auguries never lie, after all."

Reyna rolled her eyes at the two blondes. "Well, Greek demigods, it seems that we cannot trust you to stay aboard your vessel at the moment." She addressed Leo as she spoke, not Piper. "I'll make arrangements for you to sleep in the forum." She turned to the two blonde Romans. "Are you ready to return to New Rome?" She asked.

"Of course, Praetor Reyna." Octavian replied.

"Good. Octavian, please alert the Centurions and the Senators that we will be having a Senate meeting tomorrow morning at 9:30." Reyna instructed. "Jason, round up the Greeks in New Rome and bring them all to the forum. I'll talk with the lares and spirits and will see if some kind of sleeping arrangement can be made for the Greeks."

With a nod to the four people in the room, Reyna strode of the room. She retraced her steps to the rope ladder, and then climbed back down onto solid ground. She didn't look behind her to see if Octavian and Jason were followed her orders. The _Graecī_ ( **2** ) would follow them, she knew. Octavian due to her higher rank than him and Jason… Well, Jason would do it.

* * *

After bargaining with the spirits to make the Greeks some kind of sleeping arrangement and instructing the lares not to attack the _Graecī_ ( **2** ) while they were in the forum, Reyna finally returned to her villa. It had been a long, tedious day, and Reyna merely wanted to relax in the hot baths and then go to sleep within the safety and comfort of her villa. When Reyna was about to get out of the hot water, Jason Grace entered the baths. "Good evening, Jason," She greeted.

"Oh, hi Reyna. Are you getting out?" he asked. "I was just about to get in."

Reyna nodded. "Yes, I was just about to get out." She smiled at him. "And I could tell that you were planning on bathing, seeing that you're in the bathhouse." Jason grinned back at her. "If you wouldn't mind turning around, I should change and get to bed. Today has been a very long day, after all." Jason looked hurt at her request, but he did as she asked anyways. Reyna put her regular clothes back on, nodded to Jason, and then entered the safety and solitude of her villa.

Her villa was only five rooms. It consisted of a bedroom, an atrium/entranceway/living room, a kitchen, a study, and a small bathroom with a toilet and sink. The first floor consisted of the atrium/entranceway/living room, the kitchen, and the study. The second floor had only the bedroom and the small bathroom.

Reyna walked up the stairs and quickly changed into pajamas before collapsing onto her bed and falling asleep. As she fell asleep, she thought of Jason. Random memories of Jason flitted through her mind until Reyna finally collapsed into the realm of Somnus ( **3** ).

* * *

In the morning, Reyna ran her daily jog around Camp Jupiter and New Rome before returning to her villa and quickly cleaning all of the sweat off of her. Then she changed into a pair of black leggings, her Camp Jupiter T-shirt, her usual golden armor, her white toga (it was more of a stola, given that she was, in fact, not a man or a prostitute), and her purple cape. She pinned the several medals she had earned onto her toga before walking towards the forum. It had been decided that all meals would take place in the forum while the Greeks were at Camp Jupiter so that they didn't have to bring the Greeks into Camp Jupiter.

The spirits had set up the forum to look like the mess hall, and had built a small shelter for the four Greek demigods. She had given Percy Jackson permission to stay in the Fifth Cohort barracks, but he had decided to stay in the forum with Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, and Piper McLean. Jason had resumed living in his villa, so Reyna walked with him down to the forum after her run.

"How did you sleep last night?" Jason asked as they walked.

"Well," Reyna replied absently. On the inside, however, she was seething with fury. How dare those Greeks ruin Jason Grace? Her Jason Grace, the saving Grace of Rome, would never make small talk with her. When he spoke, he said important things. He didn't waste time, breath, and effort on pointless conversation. Sure, it was a small thing, but it bothered Reyna all the same.

They resumed silence for the rest of the walk to New Rome. It was not an uncomfortable, awkward silence –at least in Reyna's perspective –but rather a companionable silence between two comrades who did not need words to communicate. Finally, they reached the forum. As Reyna had expected, the Cohorts were not yet assembled. She and Jason were twenty minutes early, but Reyna didn't expect the Cohorts to be gathered until ten –or even five –minutes before breakfast was to begin.

Reyna and Jason conversed with some of the spirits and many of the lares until the Greeks left their tent exactly twelve minutes before breakfast was to begin. Percy had probably known that they should show up early before the Legion arrived. The four sat at the same table with Reyna and Jason where the Centurions would soon join them.

Seven minutes before breakfast was supposed to begin, the Legion assembled in the forum. After Reyna set them at ease, they separated into their five Cohorts for breakfast. The ten Centurions joined the two Praetors and the Greek guests.

"Greek visitors, you ought to attend the Senate meeting this morning," Reyna said as she spread jam on her toast. "It begins at 9:30 precisely. Don't be late."

"What will be discussed during the Senate meeting?" Annabeth Chase asked.

"The prophecy, which seven heroes will go on the quest, and the disturbing message delivered to Jason Grace last night." Everyone besides Jason at the table looked at her sharply.

"What kind of disturbing message?" Frank Zhang asked.

"We'll discuss it at the Senate meeting," Jason replied. "I don't want to explain it more times than I have to." The Centurions nodded and returned to their breakfasts and conversations. The Greeks, however, looked unsettled.

"So, Praetor Reyna, will everything return to normal once the quest is over?" Angelina Jones asked. Angelina was one of the Centurions of the Third Cohort and a legacy of Venus on her mother's side and Cupid and Mars on her father's side. It certainly made for an interesting combination.

Several of the Centurions smirked while the Greeks looked uncertain. They were probably unaware of the double meaning of Angelina's words. Reyna looked to Jason before replying, "We'll see, Centurion. Memory loss is a fragile illness, I've heard."

Angelina nodded and grinned. "Marcus, I bet you twelve denarii that it'll happen soon."

The boy beside her, the Centurion of the Fourth laughed slightly. "Doubtful, have you seen Reyna when she's mad or annoyed?" Marcus asked. "It'll definitely take them until after the quest. You know how they are. It took them so long to get together in the first place. If they didn't make out when they first saw each other again, they won't for a long time."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. "Are you betting about Reyna and Jason getting together?" she asked the two Centurions.

Angelina laughed. "Of course, what else would we bet for them? How many times Reyna will kick Jason's _podex_?" She grinned. "This is way more fun, _graeca_."

Percy used his wolf-glare on the girl. "Don't call Annabeth a _graeca_ , Centurion Jones." He ordered.

"You're not my Praetor anymore, Perseus Jackson," Angelina replied.

"Centurion, these Greeks are our guests. There will be no use of rude names in their presence, am I understood?" Reyna stared the Centurion down. In all honesty, Reyna rather liked the girl. Sure, she was manipulative and constantly causing trouble amongst various couples, but she worked hard and always did what she believed best for Rome and its citizens. Reyna admired that trait in the Centurion.

Angelina bowed her head slightly. "Of course, Praetor Reyna. My apologies, Greek guests."

"But Reyna, you've called us ' _graecus_ ' under your breath," Piper said suddenly. All eyes at the table looked between the daughter of love and the daughter of war.

Reyna smirked at the Greek girl. "I did no such thing," She replied calmly. "I have never called all of you ' _graecus_ ' while you were on Rome's territory."

Jason looked between the two. "Rey, what are you doing?" He asked quietly into her ear. "Don't go starting fights, not in front of your Centurions, anyways."

Reyna smiled wickedly at him. "I have this covered, Jason. Don't worry."

Jason nodded, but moved his hand to rest it on Reyna's thigh. Piper looked mad, as did Leo Valdez and Annabeth Chase, but she didn't start a larger fight. "So, um, do I have to wear a toga to the Senate meeting?" Percy asked suddenly. "I mean, I'm not praetor anymore, but I was. So, like, what's the dress code for this thing?"

Dakota and Frank grinned while a few other Centurions smiled slightly. "You do not have to wear a toga, Percy," Reyna said finally. "You no longer have the title or status of Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Of course, if you would like to wear a toga, then you may as you have previously been a Praetor of the Legion. The choice is up to you."  
"Thank Hestia." Percy sighed in relief. "I couldn't figure that thing out yesterday."

Reyna raised an eyebrow at him. "I noticed," She said. "It was crooked and the front was wrinkled."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "Guess toga's aren't in my blood," He joked. "Dakota, can you pass the bacon?"

* * *

 **Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter, please review and tell me your thoughts!  
~Nerd**

 **P.S. Reyna's whole thing about not calling all of them graecus is pretty much her nitpicking about Piper's word choice. Graecus is the singular, so she would never have called the group by a singular use of graecus.**

 **1\. Means "Queen of Rome" in Latin**

 **2\. Means "Greeks" in Latin, the plural form of** _ **Graecus/graecus**_

 **3\. Somnus is the Roman god of sleep**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own PJO or HoO!**

* * *

The Senate meeting, as Reyna expected, was far different than the usual bickering between important senators, different centurions, and arguments between Reyna and Octavian. The 31 Senators filled into their seats on either side of the building. The Centurions sat on the left while the civilian Senators sat on the right. Reyna and Jason sat on the raised platform on the back wall, side by side just as they had through countless Senate meetings before he disappeared eight months before.

The five Greek demigods were also present, as was Hazel Levesque. The six sat on low chairs just in front of the Praetors' platform so that they wouldn't obstruct Reyna and Jason's view of the proceedings. "Octavian, please recite the prophecy," Reyna commanded once they began the meeting, drawing the room into silence and rapt attention. "I believe that most of us could use a refresher of its details."

Octavian slowly stood from his seat on the Centurion's side. As the Augur, he ought to hold two Senate votes since he was also a Centurion. Luckily for Reyna, whom the snake often opposed in political settings, the rules of New Rome's Senate were clear. Each member of the Senate is allowed only one vote. "Of course, Praetor." He cleared his throat, and began to recite the Great Prophecy in Latin, " _Et septem et dimidiae sangium respondet, Expungare et igne pereat mundus, Iusiurandum finale habere spiritum, Arma hostis ad portas mortis_." ( **1** )

"Thank you, Octavian," Jason said once the Augur was done. "Perhaps you could recite it in English for our Greek guests?"

Octavian scowled. Jason stared back until the Legacy of Apollo shifted his glare to the Greeks. "Seven demigods must answer the call, To storm or fire the world shall fall, An oath to preserve until one's final death, And enemies fight together at the Doors of Death," he recited, this time so that all in attendance would understand ( **2** ).

"Thank you, Augur," Reyna said as Octavian sat back down. "Now, we must decide who to send on this quest."

One of the civilian Senators stood up. He was an elderly man whose toga was striped with deep purple. "Praetor Reyna, if I may interrupt," he began. Reyna nodded to him, and the man stood. He leaned on a cane, and spoke in a rough voice. "How can we be sure that now is truly the time for the prophecy? We once thought that it was the time, but ended in only losing our Eagle."

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the Senate house. "Augur, what are your thoughts on the matter?" Jason asked suddenly. For a moment, Reyna was struck with a sense of familiarity when she heard Jason's voice. Until that point, three had always been something… off… about the sound of Jason's voice. But now, he sounded just as he had before, although a little older: commanding, authoritative, and just warm enough to be civil.

"I am sure that these…" Octavian sneered in the direction of the Greek demigods, " _Greeks_ believe that it is indeed time for the Great Prophecy to begin," he said loudly with an air of importance. "However, true demigods with Roman legacy know this not to be true." There was a murmur amongst the Senators, and Jason shared a worried look with Reyna and the Greeks. "In Roman mythology, Terra is not a villain seeking to destroy Olympus and its gods. She is a peaceful protector of Rome who assures our bountiful harvest, continued fertility, and well-being. Why would New Rome want to fight her? I say we put it to a vote!" ( **3** )

Unfortunately, Reyna was beginning to agree with the slimy augur. It made sense, based off of Jason's vision. And the dream she had had the night before…

Before Reyna or Jason could do anything, there was a roar amongst the Senators. Finally, Reyna stood up from her chair and walked to the center of the Senate in between the Centurions and Civilians. "Silence!" she shouted. "As is our custom, we will put the matter to a vote." She looked back at Jason, who was already placing paper onto their desk and holding a pen in his ready hand. "Each of you have a basket of stones underneath your chair. Senator Marcellus, you have the black basket in front of you. As you all know, this is the basket for voting against the motion. Augur, you have the purple basket in front of you, which is the basket for voting for the motion." She paused, making sure that everyone in the building was paying attention to her. "But first, Jason and I will share our thoughts on the matter. Usually, we would have done so at the previous meeting and garnered support where we could beforehand. However, due to the sudden nature of today's vote, Praetor Jason and I will each have two minutes to share our thoughts with you. Is anyone opposed?"

Not one of the Senators opposed her idea. Instead, one of the civilians held up a time card used for overly-lengthy speeches which informed the speaker of their time remaining on the floor.

"I do not know where Praetor Jason Grace stands on the issue of Gaea," she began as she looked at each of her Senators, "but I do know where I stand, and where my mother wishes for Rome to stand. My mother, the goddess Bellona, visited me in a dream last night. She told me that Rome was in danger, and that Terra Mater would protect us." She glanced around, and felt relief when the Senators nodded along to her story, seemingly convinced thus far. "Bellona told me that not only are the Greeks trying to destroy one of our patron goddesses, their gods also plan on destroying Rome. They plan to extinguish the Vestal Flame, to erase Rome and her history from the Earth. The Greeks plan to destroy us, our home, and our way of life."

She noticed that the Greeks looked troubled by her speech, as did the Senators. However, the two were troubled for obviously different reasons. "For those reasons, and because I am a loyal servant to the Roman State, I ask you to vote against this quest. Do not allow us to help the Greeks destroy our home." She paused, and glared at Perseus Jackson. If this was what her mother wished, than who was she to oppose the will of the gods? "My home has been destroyed once by a Greek hero attempting to save the world. I do not want to see it happen again." She paused again, looking at each of the Senators in the eye. "But New Rome is more than just me and my mother. New Rome is a safe haven for demigods, the home of a wonderful university which educates your children, siblings, or peers. New Rome is a city where we can be free from the constant terror of monster attacks. So please, I ask you not to let it die."

She nodded to each side of the Senate house, and then sat back down beside Jason. "What the fuck was that?" he asked her furiously. "Why didn't you tell me about your dream?"

"I didn't think that it mattered until now, Jason," she whispered back. "Now it's your choice to make. Do you become an outcast by siding with the Greeks? Or do you further your political career by siding with Rome?"

"I…" Jason hesitated, and Reyna resisted the urge to sneer at him. How had she just thought that her Jason was back? Who was he, to be unsure if he should choose Rome above all else?

"You better figure it out soon, Jason. The Senate is waiting for your speech." She watched him coldly, the way she used to during these meetings. Jason took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back. He adjusted his cape, toga, and medals, and then stood from his seat. He strode to the center of the Senate and nodded to the familiar faces he saw.

"Last night, a tragedy almost occurred. Far more than a tragedy, actually. An attack." He paused, and let the Senators calm down before he continued. "After dinner, the dinner we so graciously shared with our Greek guests, Praetor Reyna and I stayed behind in the forum to oversee cleanup and thank the _aurae_ for their work." If he noticed that Dakota was snickering, Jason didn't show it. "Piper McLean suddenly appeared, and told us that one of her fellow Greek demigods was planning on firing a weapon at our beautiful city. Reyna and I managed to stop the attack with Piper's help, and were able to make sure that our beloved Augur, Octavian, returned to Roman soil safely."

There were gasps, both from the Greeks and the Senators. Reyna called them to order, and finally there was silence.

"Whilst on the Greek vessel, The Argo II, a deity of the Roman pantheon appeared to me. This deity, who chose not to reveal her name to me, told me something similar to what Lady Bellona told Praetor Reyna. After the Greeks defeat Terra Mater, their gods plan to destroy Rome. The Greek gods see Rome and her pantheon as a threat, just as the Romans saw the Greeks as a threat hundreds of years ago. Just as Rome conquered Greece and her people, the Greek gods plan to do the same to us and our gods." He paused, waiting for the gasps and murmurs to fall into silence. "My fellow citizens and soldiers, I cannot allow such a fate to befall Rome. However, the ultimate choice is yours. Reyna and I have no votes in this House. We simply guide the Senate's meetings, bring in new information, and lead Rome's army to keep New Rome safe. We work with your Consuls, who are in charge of State affairs in the city.

"Reyna and I are elected officials within Rome's army. We are war generals. You, Senators, are the voice of Rome. You are the ones who decide her fate. You are the ones to steer her through rough waters. So you, Senators, must choose Rome's fate today. You must decide what is best for her. You, Senators, must decide whether or not we go to war with Gaea." He glanced at Reyna, who scratched her ear. It was their old signal to stop a speech before he could ruin the strong note he had. "Thank you, and think before you vote."

He walked purposefully back to Reyna and sat in his chair beside her. "That was an excellent speech, Jason," she told him. "And surprising. I thought that you would side with your Greek friends on this."

"Terra won't hurt Rome. The Greek gods will. What else can I do but help to protect New Rome and her people?" Still, Reyna could tell that he was torn up about his decision. The Greek demigods tried to turn in their seats to look at them, but Jason steadily fixed his gaze pointedly away from them. This was the way it had to be, it seemed.

Reyna stood slowly, and all eyes were on her once more. "We will take a ten minute break before the vote for you to come to a wise decision. As always, I urge you to decide for yourself before speaking with any other Senators. However, I also cannot force anyone here not to discuss the vote with their political allies. Please be back in your seats in ten minutes."

The Senators rose as one body and walked out of the Senate building. Reyna flipped over the hourglass on the table and slowly let her posture relax. "Everything will work out," Jason murmured in her ear.

Before she could reply, the Greeks stood up and faced the praetors. "What was that?" Annabeth Chase demanded. "I thought you were going to convince them to help us?"

"I was only telling the truth, Annabeth," Reyna replied. "My mother told me that Rome must oppose those who seek to harm Terra Mater. I will not go against the wishes of my mother. I am simply trying to do what is best for my city."

"But Gaea is going to destroy the whole world and let her giants destroy everything!" Leo Valdez shouted. "You saw that! What about the huge battle that took place just a few days ago where you all fought against that one giant dude! Percy told us about it."

"We cannot be sure who sent the giant to attack New Rome. It would not be the first time a monster has attacked our borders. In any case, it is not my decision to make. The Senators vote on what we will do. Jason and I have no say."

"But you do hold a lot of sway with the people," Percy said. "Why else would you both have made speeches just now?" he paused, looking around the building. "They haven't heard a speech from two praetors since before Jason disappeared. To have both of you against sending anyone on the quest to stop Gaea… there's no way that they'll vote to help us."

"Jason, what happened to you?" Piper asked. "You're… you were there when we rescued Hera from Gaea. This is a serious issue! She managed to kidnap the queen of Olympus."

Reyna scoffed. "As if Lady Juno would be kidnapped so easily. Your Hera may be a weak goddess, but Juno is as strong as they come. She protects Rome and knows what is best for us."

Jason swallowed thickly. "Look, guys. I'm appreciative that Camp Half-Blood took me in when I had no memories. But… fighting against Gaea isn't good for Rome. If what Bellona and that other goddess said is true, then we can't afford to attack Gaea. I can't allow anything to happen to New Rome. This place is my home, and it's a sanctuary for thousands of demigods and legacies. There's… I can't let us do anything to jeopardize that. I'm sorry."

Reyna glanced over at the hourglass. "Two minutes, Jason," she said quietly. "Then it's time for the vote."

Hazel Levesque cleared her throat. "Praetor Reyna, if I may be heard."

"You may."

"Percy, Frank, and I all fought a giant clearly working for Gaea when we went on our quest to Alaska. I firmly believe that the giant we fought on the Feast of Fortuna was also working for Gaea."

Reyna sighed. "I believe you, Hazel. And I know that you are correct. However, you are forgetting one small detail. Gaea is not the same as Terra Mater. None of the Roman and Greek gods are the same. Lord Jupiter and Zeus are the only ones who are very similar. Gaea is a problem for the Greek heroes. It is not any concern of Rome's. While I do not wish for you Greeks to fail, I do not want to involve Rome in your affairs."

"What about the Titan war?" Annabeth asked suddenly.

"Our opponents were not the Titans, Annabeth," Reyna said. "There are no Titans in Roman mythology. Only gods and goddesses. We did, however, go to battle against an immortal Triumvirate of deified emperors." The Greeks looked shocked. "I understand that you believe that your issue with Gaea is monumental. However… it is nothing to Rome. To Rome, Gaea and her giants do not exist. We will not be able to understand your war, nor what you fight. To us, there will be nothing there. We cannot help you, not even if we wanted to."

"Time's up," Jason said quietly as he glanced back at the hourglass. As if on que, the Senators filed back into the building and took their seats.

Not for the first time in her political career, Reyna was struck by how different each side of the Senate looked. One side had only ten seats, ten Senators. Every one of them wore gleaming gold armor with white togas or stolas over it. The male Centurions all wore their hair short and perfectly in regulation, while all of the females' hair was bound back in either a ponytail or some kind of practical braid. Each sat straight and with perfect posture, and constantly prepared for an attack.

The other side was the civilians. They were a far less uniform group, but just as serious-looking. Three of the civilians were college-aged adults who had just retired from the Legion. Five were in their late twenties or early thirties, and another five were in their forties. The final seven civilians were much older, somewhere in their seventies or eighties. Each male senator wore a traditional toga, although the colors varied from off-white to orange to red to green to blue to black. Each female Senator wore a stola and palla, but all wore their hair differently. One elderly woman had her grey hair in a sever bun, while one of the college-aged women wore her dark red hair all loose around her face with some braids peeking through the wild curls. Some civilians, especially the older ones, had stripes of different colors on their clothes to show rank and how long they had served in the Senate or as other important figures in New Rome.

"It is now time to vote," announced Reyna once they were all seated. "As we all know, place one stone in the black basket if you wish to vote against the motion to join the Greeks' quest. Conversely, if you wish to vote in favor of joining the quest, place one stone in the purple basket. Please only vote once and with one stone. We will know if anyone votes more than once or not at all, so please be honest." Marcellus passed the black basket around the civilian side while Octavian passed the purple basked around the centurion side. Once they were done, Reyna and Jason brought the baskets from one side to the other.

Finally, the voting was done. Reyna and Jason carried the baskets back to their desk on the back wall and slowly began to count aloud. Reyna wrote down the tally of votes on her meeting notes, and then stood in between the two sides once more. "Jason and I have finished our count of the votes. In a vote of 26:5, the Roman Senate has decided to abandon the quest to stop Gaea. As a result and according to our customs, the Greeks have until tomorrow at noon to vacate New Rome and all of our surrounding land."

"The meeting is adjourned. We will notify you when the next meeting will take place," Jason said from beside her. The Senators nodded solemnly, and then left the building. "We did it. Rome is safe."

"Is it?" Reyna asked. "What if we're wrong?"

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it," Jason replied with a small smile ( **4** ).

"You've mixed up your idioms, Grace."

"You, sir, are the idiom." ( **5** )

"Stop it. You're annoying me."

* * *

 **Hey guys! So sorry for the delay. School got really busy, and I honestly was just really wrapped up in college applications that I didn't have time for writing Fanfiction. But don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon, I promise!**

 **~Nerd**

 **1\. This is a really bad translation of the prophecy into Latin. I usually try to be very accurate in my Latin phrases, but this one was really long so I used Google translate. It's probably totally wrong, so yeah.**

 **2\. I imagine that the translations could differ. If they knew it in Latin, then the translation into English would be subtly different than the Greek's version of the prophecy.**

3\. " **Mother Earth" in Latin. Terra is the Roman goddess of the Earth. Fun fact: in Roman mythology, Terra/Tella was not the antagonist. She didn't try to destroy the gods like Gaea/Gaia does in Greek mythology. The Romans honored her as one of the original goddesses and for keeping the land together. She was often depicted as a peaceful goddess who helped the Romans' plants grow an abundance of fruits**

 **4\. This is a real thing. It's called a malaphor when you mix two idioms together.**

 **5\. This is a quote from** _ **The Pink Panther**_ **if you haven't seen it**


End file.
